TWO BIDDERS EXPECTED AT S.D. HOSPICE AUCTION

At least two bidders will participate in an auction Tuesday for San Diego Hospice’s eight-acre Hillcrest property.

One bidder is Scripps Health, which agreed in February to serve as the “stalking horse” with an initial bid of $10.7 million.

Samuel Maizel, the attorney representing creditors in the hospice’s bankruptcy case, said Friday that at least one other bidder had surfaced, but he declined to name the organization.

He said having at least two bidders will help make sure that creditors, who have claimed more than $13 million from the hospice’s estate, get a fair price.

Jeffrey Isaacs, the hospice’s attorney, did not respond to a request for bidder information.

San Diego Hospice was once the region’s largest provider of end-of-life care. The nonprofit entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Feb. 4 and announced one week later that it would close rather than seek to reorganize.

The hospice, which once cared for as many as 1,000 patients at a time, entered bankruptcy with only about 450.